Switch-stand crank mechanism.



F. C. ANDERSON.

SWITCH STAND CRANK MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, I914.

L 1% L9G? Patented June 1; 1915.

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7H5 NORRIS PETERS c0. FHOTC-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D.

F. C. ANDERSON.

SWITCH STAND CRANK MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1914.

51,141,907 Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IKTIII llllll Witness 8':

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHO, WASHINGmN. D. c.

@NFFED %TATE% PATENT OFFlTQE,

FRANK C. ANDERSON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN VALVE & METER COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SWITCH-STAND CRANK 'MECI-IANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June it, 19115.

Application filed September 28, 1914. Serial No. 863,834.

Switch-Stand Crank Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to switch stands; and its object is to render interchangeable for use on either the right or left hand side of the track, and for a turnout in either direction, a switch stand of the kind in which the switch-operating element is made to operate an interlocking mechanism during an initial movement preliminary to a movement to throw the switch and in which it is desirable, for purposes of simplicity and efficiency, to have the switch-operating element occupy a position adjacent to the interlocking mechanism when said element has operated the switch stand to close the switch to the position in which the interlocking mechanism is to be locked for insuring the safe closure of the switch. Such switch stands as operated through an angle of 180, and which are provided with the means above described will have the switch-operating element in the position above described as being desired, whatever the position of the switch stand with relation to the track and to the direction of turnout; but a switch stand which operates through a lesser angle, which is generally an angle of 90, necessitates a provision of some means whereby the proper relation of the switch-operating element to the track and switch may be insured as above described.

With the above purposes in View, my invention consists in the improved crank and crank mechanism hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure l is a general perspective view of a switch stand and part of a track to which it is applied, showing my improved crank mechanism incorporated therewith and illustrating one of the positions of the switch stand, relative to the track and switch, for which my invention makes the switch stand interchangeable; Fig. 2 is a detail cross-sectional plan view of the crank mechanism, part of the shaft, and part of the connecting rod on the line 0crc of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on the line g of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a similar cross section but showing a modification of the, mechanism; Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of another modification of the crank mechanism, without showing any part of the connecting rod or shaft; Fig. 6 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of a switch stand and part of a track, showing a second relation of the switch stand to the track and switch; Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a third relation; and Fig. 8 is a similar view showing a fourth relation of the switch stand to the track and switch.

The switch stand chosen for exemplifying my invention comprises the frame 1 with the top plate 1?, which has the two notches 3 and 4-, 180 apart and adapted to be alined substantially parallel with the main track rail 5 and having a third notch 6 midway between or 90 from the other two notches 3 and and opening outwardly at right angles to the track rail 5. A shaft 7 isjournaled vertically in the frame 1 and has a fulcrum head 8 fixed upon it to swing around over the top plate 2, while this fulcrum head 8, has a switch-operating lever 9 pivoted in it to swing in a substantially vertical plane from a vertical position in which it is shown in the drawing, to a horizontal position, and, when in the vertical position, to occupy any of the notches 3, t or 6, and to swing out of the notches into the horizontal position and allow the fulcrum head to be swung around, turning the shaft 7 with it.

, Connected to the point rails 10 and 11 by means of the bracket 12, is a bar 13, which extends out toward the switch stand, and has one end of a connecting rod 14: pivoted to it by means of the bolt 15. To cause the bar 13 to shift both point rails 10 and 11, the shaft 7 has a crank 16 fixed on it to turn with it, and to which the other end of said connecting rod 14 is pivotally connected.

To insure against leaving or looking the switch stand when it has failed for any reason to draw the point rail 10 or 11 up against the stock rail, an interlocking mechanism is provided, which, as here shown, comprises the interlocking bar 17 fixed to the end of the point rail 10 by means of a bracket 18 and sliding through a housing which contains the interlocking plunger 19 to engage with the interlocking bar in such a manner that the mechanism cannot. be fully operated unless the interlocking bar ating' lever 9 in such a has been pushed over by the point rail a certain distance, which can only be reached if the point rail is safely close to the stock rail.

The part of the interlocking mechanism herein shown comprises the arms to which a connecting bar 21 has one end pivoted while the other end of the connecting bar 21 is pivoted to an interlocking lever 22 having a pivot 23 on a lug 24L projecting up from the top plate 2 ofthe switch stand, and also serving as the stop for the fulcrum head 8 when the fulcrum head has been swung around to the position'in which the shaft 7 with its crank 16', has drawn the point rail 10 over to the desired closed position. Somewhat below the connection of the connecting bar 21 to the interlocking lever 22, there is a lug 25 projecting from the lever 22 and integral therewith and, en tering a recess in the side of the switch-open manner that, as the switch-operating lever 9 is swung up to disengage from the slot 3 or the slot 1, as the case may be, it will swing the interlock ing lever 22 up with it and act, through the arms 20, upon the interlocking plunger 19, to disengage it from the interlocking bar 17, so that said bar may move with the point rail and allow the switch to be thrown by the next operation of the switch-operating lever,

which is to swing the fulcrum head around in a horizontal plane, over the top plate 2, to the slot 6. 7

It will be seen from the foregoing that it is high y desirable that the interlocking mechanism be located at the side of the switch stand where the switch-operating lever 9 is when it has drawn the point rail 10 up and brought the interlocking bar 17 to the position to be properly engaged by the interlocking mechanism as above described. To locate the interlocking mechanism at the opposite side of the stand would require special connections which would not only be complicated, but it would be neces sary to carefully ascertain and specify just what position the switch stand was going to be used in when ordering it from the factory. It is apparent that it is highly desirable ti at it be possible to order any quantity of the switch stands and use them in any one of the four positions demanded in service. it is in the crank 16 that 1 provide means for enabling the above convenience to be attained.

The crank 16 has the usual hub 26, and, as shown in all of the views except Fig. 5, has four arms 27, 28, 29 and 30 radiating from the hub 26 at intervals of substantially 90, each arm being provided with an opening 31, adapted, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3, to receive a pin 32, which com prises a main part 33 that passes through the head of the connecting rod 1 1, a plain shank 34: that is driven into the opening 31 in the crank, a threaded shank 35 that receives a nut 36 aboveithe upper side of the crank, and a head 37 on the lower end of the main part 33 to support the head of the connecting rod 141. Each opening 31 is provided with a keyway 38, as is also the plain shank 34: with a keyway 39, and these receive a key 40 after the pin 32 has been driven up through the opening 31, thus keeping the pin from turning and loosening the nut 36, which is depended upon to prevent downward movement of the. pin from the crank. To further insure against turning of the nut 36, a cotter pin 41 passes through the nut and through the threaded shank 35 of the pin.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the pin 32 may bereadily placed in position in any one of the four openings 31 in the crank, and, from inspection of Figs. 1,6, 7 and 8, it will be apparent how the provision of these four connecting means on the crank enables the same switch stand to be used in the four different positions illustrated in those ures, without removing the crank 16 from the lower end of the shaft 7 on which it is fixed by means of a key 42 as well as by a rivet i3 passing transversely through the hub 26 and through the shaft 7 lhis fastening by means of the key 42 and rivet 13 is done in the factory; and to adjust the switch stand for any of the four positions illustrated, it is necessary only to insert the pin A 32 in the proper opening 31 in the crank 16 as indicated in the respective figures, and not necessary to loosen the crank from the shaft, thus insuring that this detail will be as perfect in use as it was when the machine was assembled in the factory. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, where the turnout is to the left, with the switch stand on the left hand side of the track, the connection is made to the arm 27 of the crank 16, which, relative to the fulcrum head '8, is at one side thereof and eXtends back therefrom; in Fig. 6, where the turnout is to the right, with the switch stand on the right hand side of the track, the connection is made to the arm 28 at the other side thereof and extending back from the. fulcrum head 8; in Fig. 7, where the turnout is to the left, and the switchstand is on the rightliand side of the track, the connection is made to the arm 29 on the same side of the fulcrum head as the arm 27 but extending forwardly of the fulcrum head; and in Fig. 8,.where the turnout is to the right, with the switch stand on the left hand side of'the track, the connection is made to the remaining arm 30 on the same side of the fulcrum head as the arm 28 but extending forwardly of the fulcrum head.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the crank'16 has the hub 26 secured to the shaft 7 by means of the key 42 and rivet 13 as above described, and may have four arms like the previous example, such as the arms 27 28 29 and 30 but the openings 31 therein are threaded, while the pin 32, with the main part 83 and head 37 has the shank 34 threaded to enter the threaded openings 31, and also has the threaded shank 35 receiving the nut 86, which nut is held thereon by the cotter ll as in the previous example. Preferably, the threads of the shanks 31 and 35 are pitched in opposite directions, as such threads are better adapted to hold the pin in the crank and prevent its turning, thus performing the function of the key 40 in the last example.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, a disk 16 is substituted for the crank 16 or 16 and has a hub 26* with a keyway 42 and a transverse bore 43, to receive a key and rivet, respectively, for securing it to the shaft 7, while the disk 16 is provided at intervals of substantially 90, and on equal radii, with openings 31 which, as here shown, have the keyways 88 for properly securing the pin 32 in place in any one of the openings 31. It will be understood also that the openings 31 of the disk 16 may be threaded to receive a pin 31 as shown in Fig. i, in the crank 16.

The plain openings and plain shank on the pin are preferable, because the unoccupied threaded openings 31 of the crank are liable to become corroded and clogged when the switch stand has been used for some time, and then should it be desired to use the switch stand in a new relation to track and switch, it would be very inconvenient to insert the pin 32 in any one of these three openings which had not been occupied while the switch stand was in use.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In switch stand crank mechanism, in combination with a switch, a switch stand and interlocking mechanism, and means whereby the switch stand operates the interlocking mechanism, means operatively connecting the switch stand to the switch comprising a crank having four means for operative connection, any of which means may be used according to the position of the switch stand relative to the switch and to the direction of turn-out of the switch.

2. In switch stand crank mechanism, in combination with the point rail of a switch, and a switch stand comprising switch-operating mechanism, interlocking mechanism, and means whereby the switch-operating mechanism operates the interlocking mechanism during an initial movement preliminary to a movement to shift the point rail of the switch, a connecting rod connected to the point rail, a crank comprised in said switch-operating mechanism having four means to connect said connecting rod to said crank, any of which means may be used, according to the position of the switch stand relative to the switch and to the direction of turnout of the switch.

3. In switch stand crank mechanism, in combination with the point rail of a switch, and a switch stand comprising switch-operating mechanism, interlocking mechanism, and means whereby the switch-operating mechanism operates the interlocking mechanism during an initial movement preliminary to a movement to shift the point rail of the switch, a connecting rod connected to the point rail, a crank comprised in said switch-operating mechanism having four connecting means spaced substantially ninety degrees apart and on equal radii.

42. In switch stand crank mechanism, in combination with the point rail of a switch, and a switch stand comprising switch-operating mechanism, interlocking mechanism, and means whereby the switch-operating mechanism operates the interlocking mechanism during an initial movement preliminary to a movement to shift the point rail of the switch, a connecting rod connected to the point rail, a crank having four openings, any one of which may receive a connecting pin, said openings being spaced substantially ninety degrees apart and on equal radii.

, 5. In switch stand crank mechanism, in combination with the point rail of a switch, and a switch stand comprising switch-operating mechanism, interlocking mechanism, and means whereby the switch-operating mechanism operates the interlocking mechanism during an initial movement preliminary to a movement to shift the point rail of the switch, a connecting rou connected to the point rail, a crank having four openings, and a pin having a shank adapted to be driven into any one of the openings, said shank having a keyway, and each opening having a keyway to register with the keyway of the shank, a pin to fit the registering keyways, an end part to the pin past the shank, and means engaging with the end part to hold said pin with its shank in any one of said openings, said openings being spaced substantially ninety degrees apart and on equal radii.

FRANK G. ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

JAMEs N. RAMsEY, CLARENCE Pnnnnw.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of'latents, Washington, D. C. 

